Portable commode.



H. W. BEACH.

PORTABLE COMMODE. i

APPLICATION FILED 00125. 1915.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY W. BEACH, OF REDWOOD CITY, CALIFORNIA.

PORTABLE COMMODE.

To all 'whom t may concern Be it known that I, HENRY WV. BEACH, acitizen of the United States, residing at Redwood City, in the county ofSan Mateo and State of California, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Portable Commodes, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to portable commodes; and has for its object toprovide a simplified device of this nature that will be inexpensive toconstruct, light in weight, readily transportable and adapted toremovably receive, and effectually seal, within a soil bucket or vesseland be easily operable to expose the parts for use. Devices of thischaracter heretofore in use have not been easily transportable in astrict sense of the word. That is to say, they have been in the form ofchairs and other cumbersome articles of furniture and not of suchcompact and light construction as to be carried readily about and storedin the manner of a package for convenience in transporting or dumpingand cleaning the same. Therefore, in accordance with the foregoingobject, I employ a commode comprising an inclosed receptacle of sheetmetal construction and of such size as to removably receive a vesselwithin, a sealing mat removably carried on the open end of the vessel, aremovable seat resting upon said mat with its top surface flush with orin a plane above the upper edges of the body portion of the receptacle,a hinged cover for said receptacle normally held closed, by means of alatch, and adapted to engage with resilient devices carried on the seatto compress the same for the purpose of retaining the sealing mat inclose engagement with the vessel beneath, and a bail-shaped handle forsaid cover, by means of which the commode may be easily carried about,said handle being foldable to a countersunk position on the cover topermit the commode to be used also as a bench or seat.

One form which my invention may assume is exemplified in the followingdescription and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which-Figure 1 shows a side elevation, partly in section, of a deviceembodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows a vertical, central, sectional viewof the device illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a detail of theseat-carrying, resilient means adapted to be com- Specification ofLetters Patent. Patented Sept, 12, 1916.

Application led October 25, 1915.

Serial No. 57,694.

pressed by the cover of the receptacle for the purpose of sealing theunderlying mat in close engagement with the vessel.

Referring in detail to the drawings, it will be seen that I have shown acommode., comprising a body portion 10, cubical or box-like in shape andconstructed of sheet metal. A hinged cover is provided for thereceptacle and is held in closed position by means of a spring-pressedlatch 12, or otherl suitable device, whereby the said receptacle isentirely inclosed.

A soil bucket or other vessel 18 is removably fitted within thereceptacle, being preferably circular in plan and provided with a handle13', at one side, normally disposed in one corner of the inclosingreceptacle. A sealing` mat 14 is fitted, removably, in place on thevessel y15 and has a packing ring 15 of soft material encompassing itscircumferential border and is adapted to be seated upon the iaring sidesof the open end 'of the vessel for the purpose of sealing the same.

A seat-16 of the required shape is removably carried normally on thesea-ling mat 14. in engagement with the packing ring 15, being sopositioned, with respect to the inclosing receptacle, that its uppersurface normally projects above the upper edges of the body portion 10.A plurality of springpressed plungers 17, preferably four in number. iscountersunk in said seat, one being stationed adjacent to each corner ofthe same, as shown in Fig. 3. The heads of these plungers are preferablyconstructed o-f rubber to further add to the resiliency of the parts,and in extended position they project above the upper surface of theseat where they will be engaged by the hinged cover 11 as the latter isclosed to yieldingly press the. seat downwardly into tight engagementwith the packing ring on the sealing mat for the purpose of effecting asealing of the vessel 12.

A bail-shaped handle 18 is provided for the cover 11, being pivotedinthe downwardly extending legs of a depressed portion 19 of'said coverwhich lies within the circular opening 20 of the removable seat 16. Thedepression 19 in said cover is of a size and shape to permit the handleto be folded thereagainst and lie flush with the upper surface of thesurrounding portion of the cover, whereby the device may be used Aas abenchor seat.

The operation of the device described is as follows: Normally, and whennot in use, the parts are arranged in the position shown in Fig. 2 wherethe vessel 12 will be sealed, by reason of the mat 14 and the overlyingseat held in close engagement therewith by the closed cover 11. Toposition the parts for use the mat 14 must first be removed and this isaccomplished by means of a knob 21 carried thereon and projectingupwardly within the opening 20 of the overlying seat. The cover beingswung open, the operator, by means of the knob 21, removes both the mat14E and seat 16 and then replaces the seat directly in engagement withthe open end of the vessel. ln such a position the upper surface of theseat will be substantially in line with the upper edges of the inclosingreceptacle.

lt will be obvious that I have provided a simple and inexpensive commodeconstructed of a minimum number of parts all readily removable andreplaceable for the purpose of dumping or cleaning the commode, and,further, that I provide a device of such lightness of weight as to beeasily carried about by means of the handle 18, which handle, beingfoldable, permits of the use of the commode as a bench or seat when nototherwise in operation. This latter feature is of particular advantagewhere the commode is used in camping or touring parties as it provides amaximum utility and requires but small space for storage.

Vhile I have shown and described but one form of my device, it will beunderstood, nevertheless, that the same is susceptible of modificationand changes in the details of construction may, therefore, be resortedto without departing from the spirit of my invention as disclosed in theappended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. A portable commode comprising an inclosedreceptacle, a hinged lid thereon, a vessel removably received withinsaid receptacle, a sealing mat removably carried on said vessel, and aremovable seat disconnected from said receptacle andA resting upon saidmat, said seat having its top surface projecting above the upper edgesof the receptacle and held in engagement with said mat by means of theclosed lid, and downwardly projecting side portions on said lid engagingwith the sides of the receptacle to conceal the seat.

2. A portable commode comprising an inelosed receptacle, a hinged lidthereon, a vessel removably received Within said receptacle, a sealingmat removably carried on said vessel, a removable seat resting upon saidmat, and disconnected from the .receptaele, said seat having its topsurface projeoting above the upper edges of the receptacle and held inengagement with said mat by means of the closed lid, and resilient meanseompressible by said cover to cause said mat to be retained in sealingengagement with the vessel, said lid having downwardly extending sideportions engaging with the receptacle to conceal the seat.

3. A portable commode comprising a sheet metal body portion, a hingedcover thereon, a vessel removably received in said body portion, asealing mat removably received on said vessel, a seat removably carriedon said mat and disconnected from the receptacle, said seat beingextended above the top of the receptacle a distance approximating thethickness of the mat, and held in engagement with the mat by means ofthe closed cover, downwardly extending sides on said cover cooperatingwith the receptacle to conceal the seat, a bail-shaped handle on saidcover, and a latch for retaining the cover in closed position.

4. A portable commode comprising an inclosed receptacle, a hinged lidthereon, a vessel removably received within said receptacle, a sealingmat removably carried on said vessel, a. removable seat resting uponsaid mat having its top surface projecting above the upper edges of thereceptacle and held in engagement with said mat by means of the closedlid, and a packing ring carried on said mat engaging the circumferentialedges of the vessel and engaged by said seat and means for retainingsaid cover in closed position with the seat engaging tightly with thepacking ring, whereby to seal the vessel.

5. A portable commode comprising an inelosed receptacle, a hinged lidthereon, a vessel removably received within said receptacle, a sealingmat removably carried on said vessel, a removable seat resting upon saidmat having its top surface projecting above the upper edges of thereceptacle and held in engagement with said mat by means of the closedlid, a packing ring carried on said mat engaging the circumferentialedges of the vessel and engaged by said seat, and resilient means onsaid seat comprising countersunk, spring-pressed plungers compressibleby the cover to cause said seat to tightly engage the packing ring andseal the mat in position on the vessel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HENRY W. BEACH.

Vitnesses:

JOHN H. HERRING, W. W. HEALEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C."

